News and Views: Aristotle's Political Theory

News and Views: Aristotle's Political Theory: Aristotle (b. 384 – d. 322 BCE), was a Greek philosopher,
logician, and scientist. Along with his teacher Plato, Aristotle is
generally regarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers
in a number of philosophical fields, including political theory.
Aristotle was born in Stagira in northern Greece, and his father was
a court physician to the king of Macedon. As a young man he studied
in Plato's Academy in Athens. After Plato's death he left Athens to
conduct philosophical and biological research in Asia Minor and
Lesbos, and he was then invited by King Philip II of Macedon to
tutor his young son, Alexander the Great. Soon after Alexander
succeeded his father, consolidated the conquest of the Greek
city-states, and launched the invasion of the Persian Empire.
Aristotle returned as a resident alien to Athens, and was a close
friend of Antipater, the Macedonian viceroy. At this time (335–323
BCE) he wrote, or at least worked on, some of his major treatises,
including the Politics. When Alexander died suddenly,
Aristotle had to flee from Athens because of his Macedonian
connections, and he died soon after. Aristotle's life seems to have
influenced his political thought in various ways: his interest in
biology seems to be expressed in the naturalism of his politics; his
interest in comparative politics and his sympathies for democracy as
well as monarchy may have been encouraged by his travels and
experience of diverse political systems; he criticizes harshly,
while borrowing extensively, from Plato's Republic,
Statesman, and Laws; and his own Politics
is intended to guide rulers and statesmen, reflecting the high
political circles in which he moved.